Archangel Dojo

Funakoshi vs Motobu — The Rivalry That Changed Karate

Can two men completely disagree about what karate should be — and both be right?

This week’s documentary explores one of the most fascinating rivalries in karate history: Gichin Funakoshi and Chōki Motobu — two Okinawan masters, two radically different visions of karate, and a conflict whose influence can still be felt today.

🥋 Channel members can watch the full documentary NOW — 48 hours before everyone else.

📅 Public release: Saturday at 2:00 PM CET

📖 And if you want to go deeper, I dedicated a significant part of Way of the Empty Hand to Funakoshi, Motobu and the generation that brought karate from Okinawa to mainland Japan. Volume One is available now, and Volume Two is coming in less than a month.

See you Saturday. 🥋

5 days ago | [YT] | 114

Archangel Dojo

🥋 NEW DOCUMENTARY — MEMBERS CAN WATCH NOW!

Karate Fighters Who Dominated K-1 is now available exclusively for Archangel Dojo members.

Today, K-1 is remembered as the golden age of heavyweight kickboxing. But some of the fighters who defined its history came from a very different world — karate.

Andy Hug. Francisco Filho. Semmy Schilt. Glaube Feitosa. Sam Greco. Musashi. Nicholas Pettas. Ewerton Teixeira…

This documentary explores the forgotten karate legacy behind K-1 — from its Seidokaikan origins and the first World Grand Prix to the Kyokushin invasion and the rise of one of the most dominant champions in K-1 history.

🔒 Members can watch the full documentary NOW.

🌍 PUBLIC RELEASE:
📅 Saturday, August 15
⏰ 2:00 PM CET

📖 WAY OF THE EMPTY HAND

If you want to go deeper into the history behind the karate featured on this channel, Volume I of my book Way of the Empty Hand is available now:

www.amazon.com/dp/B0GS1LXGZV

And the story continues soon — Volume II is coming in September.

🥋 Not a member yet? Hit JOIN to support Archangel Dojo and get early access to documentaries like this one.

For those who have already watched it:

Who do you consider the greatest karate fighter in K-1 history? 👇

1 week ago | [YT] | 85

Archangel Dojo

🥋 NEW DOCUMENTARY AVAILABLE FOR MEMBERS!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCKUy...

The new documentary, "Why Kickboxers Say 'Os'", is now available with early access for all channel members!

Millions of kickboxers around the world say "Os", but very few know where this tradition actually came from.

In this documentary, we explore the origins of the word Os, why it became an essential part of Kyokushin Karate, and how it eventually spread into Japanese kickboxing, Dutch kickboxing, K-1, and eventually martial arts gyms around the world.

This is also the story of Mas Oyama, Kenji Kurosaki, Mejiro Gym, and one of the most influential cultural traditions in modern combat sports.

📖 Way of the Empty Hand – Volume I is available now on Amazon, and I'm excited to announce that Volume II—covering the birth of Japanese kickboxing, the legacy of Kenji Kurosaki, and many other forgotten chapters of martial arts history—will be released next month.

www.amazon.com/dp/B0GS1LXGZV

▶️ The public premiere is on Saturday at 14:00 CET.

If you're already a member, you can watch it right now. If not, I'll see you at the premiere!

As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments after you watch it.

🥋 Oss!

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 63

Archangel Dojo

🥋 NEW DOCUMENTARY — MEMBERS WATCH NOW!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Zcb6...

In February 1964, three Japanese karate fighters entered Bangkok’s legendary Lumpinee Stadium to challenge Muay Thai on its own ground.

Representing Mas Oyama’s full-contact approach to karate, Tadashi Nakamura, Akio Fujihira and Kenji Kurosaki fought under rules that allowed punches, kicks, knees, elbows and clinch fighting.

Karate officially won two fights out of three.

But the one Japanese fighter who lost may have changed martial arts history more than the two who won.

Channel members can watch the complete documentary now:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Zcb6...

The Night Karate Challenged Muay Thai — And Japanese Kickboxing Was Born will be released publicly this Saturday.

This historic confrontation is also explored in greater depth in the upcoming second volume of my book, WAY OF THE EMPTY HAND, arriving this September.

The first volume is already available worldwide through Amazon:

📘 www.amazon.com/dp/B0GS1LXGZV

If you would like early access to new documentaries, exclusive audiobook chapters and additional material, you can support Archangel Dojo by using the JOIN button on the channel.

To all existing members: thank you for making this work possible. I hope you enjoy the new documentary.

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 79

Archangel Dojo

🥋 **The Complete History of Kenpo is here!**

The most comprehensive video I've ever made on the history and evolution of Kenpo is now available exclusively for channel members.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkmrC...

From Shaolin and Okinawa to Japan, Hawaii, and the modern world of martial arts, this video follows the complete journey of one of the most influential fighting traditions ever created.

🔒 Members can watch it right now with Early Access.

🌍 The video becomes PUBLIC this Saturday at 2:00 PM (14:00).

If you'd like to support the channel, get **early access**, exclusive bonus content, and help me continue creating in-depth martial arts documentaries, consider becoming a member. Membership starts at a very affordable price and truly makes a difference.

📖 If you enjoy the history of karate and martial arts, you may also like my book:

Way of the Empty Hand
www.amazon.com/dp/B0GS1LXGZV

Thank you all for your support. I can't wait to hear what you think about this one!

1 month ago | [YT] | 85

Archangel Dojo

🥋 New documentary is now available... exclusively for Channel Members!

Today's video explores the fascinating story of Gosoku-Ryu Karate and its founder, Tak Kubota—the karate master who invented the Kubotan.

For the next 48 hours, the documentary is available only to Channel Members. After that, it will become public for everyone.

If you'd like to watch it early, get access to exclusive audiobook chapters from Way of the Empty Hand II, and support the future of the channel, consider becoming a member today.

📚 Way of the Empty Hand
www.amazon.com/dp/B0GS1LXGZV

I'm also excited to announce that Volume II is coming this September. Members already have access to several chapters, with more on the way—and may even get early access before the official release.

Thank you all for your continued support.

Osu! 👊

1 month ago | [YT] | 95

Archangel Dojo

🥉 Proud coach moment.

One of my students, Vukan Roganović, has just won a bronze medal at the Senshi World Championship.

He secured his medal with a spectacular knockout victory in the quarterfinals and then narrowly lost the semifinal by decision against a strong opponent.

This is also the reason there was no new history video last Saturday—I was in Bulgaria, coaching at the championship.

I'm incredibly proud of Vukan's performance, his dedication, and the work our team has put in.

You can watch his quarterfinal fight here. I'd love to hear what you think! 🥋👊


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1trcu...

1 month ago | [YT] | 63

Archangel Dojo

New video is out.
For the first time on Archangel Dojo, I’m covering Taekwondo — its roots, its evolution, and how it became one of the most recognizable martial arts in the world.

As a karateka, this was a very interesting topic to explore, because the deeper I went, the clearer it became that Taekwondo has a much richer and more complex history than most people realize.

Watch here:
https://youtu.be/wnJ4C9bibiQ

My book, Way of the Empty Hand, is also available here:
www.amazon.com/dp/B0GS1LXGZV

If this video does well, I may turn this into a full Taekwondo / Korean martial arts series.

1 month ago | [YT] | 97

Archangel Dojo

Way of the empty hand book:

www.amazon.com/dp/B0GS1LXGZV

Shorinji Kempo is often overshadowed by more widely known martial arts, but behind it lies a very distinct system that blends technique, discipline, and inner development into one unified philosophy.

In this new video, I explore exactly that: what Shorinji Kempo is, how it developed, and why it stands apart from the “traditional” understanding of karate and other Japanese martial systems.

This is not just about techniques — it’s about the way of thinking behind them.

If you’re interested in the deeper context of martial arts, their history, and the philosophy that shapes them, this is a video worth watching to the end.

📘 Some of these ideas, and a broader reflection on martial arts as a way of life, are also explored in my book, where I go even deeper into the connection between training, character, and everyday life.

Link is in the description.

Let me know in the comments what you think about Shorinji Kempo — do you see it more as a fighting system, or as a philosophical path?

1 month ago | [YT] | 123

Archangel Dojo

American Kenpo is finally public.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eu9Qo...

This was one of the most requested videos on the channel, so I wanted to do it properly — not only Ed Parker, Elvis and Hollywood, but also the deeper Hawaiian Kenpo line through James Mitose and William Kwai Sun Chow.

American Kenpo is often remembered for fast hands, self-defense combinations, and its Hollywood image.

But behind that, there is a much bigger story:

Hawaii.
Mitose.
Chow.
Parker.
Elvis.
Hollywood.
And the question of whether American Kenpo was a brilliant modern self-defense system — or whether it became too complex and too choreographed.

The full video is now available on the channel.

My book Way of the Empty Hand is available on Amazon:
www.amazon.com/dp/B0GS1LXGZV

Follow Archangel Dojo:
Instagram: www.instagram.com/archangel_dojo/
TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@archangel_gym
Patreon: www.patreon.com/c/ArchangelDojo

Oss.

2 months ago | [YT] | 110